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Top Document: Electrical Wiring FAQ (Part 2 of 2)
Previous Document: Aluminum wiring
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I'm buying a house! What should I do?



	Congratulations.  But...  It's generally a good idea to hire
	an inspector to look through the house for hidden gotchas.
	Not just for wiring, but plumbing and structural as well.  If an
	inspection of the wiring shows no problems or only one or two minor
	ones, we believe that you can consider the wiring safe (after any
	minor problems are fixed).  If there are signs of problems in many
	places, we suggest you look elsewhere.

	Here's some hints on what to look for:

	Obvious non-code wiring can include:

		- Zip cord wiring, either concealed or nailed to walls
		- Hot wiring on the identified (neutral) conductor without
		  proper marking.
		- Ungrounded grounding outlets (except when downstream of
		  a GFCI)
		- Splices hanging in mid-air (other than proper knob-and-tube)
		- Switched neutrals
		- Unsecured Romex swinging about like grapevines

	Certain wiring practices that are actually to code (or were at one
	time) sometimes reveal DIY wiring that may have hidden violations:

		- Switches that seem to control nothing (abandoned, perhaps
		  not properly terminated wiring)
		- A wall switch that controls things that you think it
		  shouldn't, for instance mysteriously removing power
		  from lights or outlets in other rooms. 
		- Switches and outlets in bizarre locations
		- Great numbers of junction boxes without outlets or lamps
		- Junction boxes with great numbers of wires going into them
		- Wiring that passes through a closet instead of a wall or
		  ceiling
		- Backwrapped grounding wires (ground wire wrapped around
		  the incoming cable insulation outside the box).
		- A breaker or fuse for outside wiring that is near the bottom
		  of the breaker panel or in an add-on fusebox.  The outdoor
		  wiring may have been homeowner-installed after the house was
		  built, and was not buried deep enough or was done with the
		  wrong kind of wire - if the wire is visible, check for "UF"
		  or "NMW" markings.



Top Document: Electrical Wiring FAQ (Part 2 of 2)
Previous Document: Aluminum wiring
Next Document: What is this weird stuff? Old style wiring

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